Don’t let your circumstances have the final say….four reasons why!!!!

What is happening around you? What kind of environment are you living in? What are you being exposed to on a daily basis? I ask these questions because these things have an impact on you. They have an impact on the way you think and they have an impact on the way you view life. This is a constant battle I find myself in. It has always been a battle. The challenge is to not let your present circumstances determine your destiny. It’s ok if your present circumstances are positive, but what happens when it’s bad? What happens when everyone is talking negatively, and everyone is discouraged? What happens when your future looks bleak, or you THINK it looks bleak, what then?

Here are 4 reasons why you should not let your present circumstances have the final say in your life –

1. Just because things are not going well now does not mean your future is going to be the same. Your present circumstances are not forth coming attractions of your future. Things will get better, much better.

2. Your present circumstances have the potential to determine the kind of choices you make. Even if things are hard and you see no end to the misery make a choice to trust God. The fact is, there is an end to the hard times. Winters always end! Don’t let the “winter” you are going through right now determine and dictate what choices you will make. Step out, pursue what God has called you to do. Don’t shrink back, don’t fear. I have done the latter two a lot! Because things were hard and seemed bleak I thought my future was pretty much the same. But that is not the case. And this is the battle I fight constantly. God has an amazing plan for us and no matter what the enemy brings our way we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and what He has spoken to us.

3. The next thing I have found is that my present circumstances tend to dictate what I should expect! If things are hard and difficult don’t expect much I am told. Just get by. Don’t trust God for too much…….!

Please, don’t let your current circumstance determine what you expect. Maybe you don’t have the money you need but don’t let that stop you from pursuing what God has called you to do. Don’t allow your circumstances determine your expectations. Expect God to do great things in your life even if things are falling apart in your life. He will come through for you.

4. The last thing is so important. All the points I have mentioned are important but this one needs special consideration. Don’t let your present circumstances dictate your faith in God. Your present circumstances have a way of blurring God’s greatness. It’s hard to see God when things are crazy in your life. It’s hard to see God when nothing seems to be working. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your faith in God. Keep trusting in God. Don’t lose heart. God can be trusted. If everything fails your faith is the one thing that should remain. I have to make a conscious decision to trust God. Even when I feel discouraged, even when nothing seems to be working and even when things don’t look like they are going to change.

I hope this post helped you. In fact I hope it made sense to you! If not, please don’t hesitate to ask me for clarity where unclear or if you need to add something, please feel free to do so.

When I talk about present circumstances I am talking about the difficult times we go through, the hard times, the confusing times. I just thought I should make that clear. I pray your faith continues to be strong in the face of adverse circumstances. God wants us to trust Him because He knows the end. Things will get better, much better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and winters always come to an end! It’s all because of God’s grace…..Amen

Rolain

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No matter what happens, God is in control!

You have a calling….. You were brought to earth for a reason and that is the truth. What I have been thinking about are the journey’s of all the great men and women in the bible. I don’t believe the road God paved for them was easy. And this is the thing though, we read their stories and we know their ending but the actual people didn’t. For example, look at Joseph, Esther, and Rahab.

Joseph – We know his story but imagine what he went through. He was sold as a slave. What was going through his mind at that precise moment? Just before that his brothers threw him down a pit and were planning his death! Did he think his life would amount up to something? Did he feel like God had abandoned him? Did he lose hope? Did he ever feel like just giving up? I think he went through all these things but when we read his story we know the end. We know God would deliver him in a mighty way. We know he would become second to Pharaoh! We know he would save the world from a severe famine but did he? I don’t think he knew that when he was in the pit. But the fact is this, God was in control, even when things didn’t seem like that. He knew the end and that is what matters. Joseph may of felt abandoned because of the circumstances he found himself in but he wasn’t abandoned. God had not abandoned him! God was guiding him and making a way for him. God was preparing him for something big.

Esther – She was orphaned. She didn’t know who her parents were. She was abandoned and was being raised by her uncle, Mordecai. (Esther 2:7) And to top things off, she was a women. Not the greatest thing to be at that time in history. What did she struggle with? Did she even think she was called? Did she know God had an amazing plan for her? Did she struggle with identity and rejection? But as we read the story we know the end. We know she would be crowned the new queen and she would save an entire race! Did she know that in the beginning? I don’t think so but again, God was in control. She may off thought of herself as dirt but God had planned something so amazing for her. He loved her and God was with her. I wonder if she knew that in the beginning????

Rahab – She was a prostitute! I can only imagine what she went through before the spies visited her. She had to struggle with people mocking her. Did she struggle with abuse, physical and verbal? I most definitely think so. Did she struggle with self-esteem? People looked down on her? She was treated like trash. She wasn’t even a Christian!!! She was a prostitute for crying out loud. In her eyes and the eyes of everyone else around her, her life path was clear, there was no mistake of what she would amount to. She would amount to nothing!!! There was no hope for her. Did she believe that God had chosen her? Did she know something amazing was about to happen to her?? I don’t think so. But again, God was in control. He had a plan for her even if she couldn’t see it, even if everybody else around couldn’t see it. God had a plan and that made all the difference!

This is what I am trying to get to. God has a plan for your life. Even if like Rahab everyone says you are going nowhere, God has a plan for your life. Put your faith in God. His plan for your life is going to blow you away. Take comfort in the fact that, GOD has a plan for you. Your circumstances might be saying the complete opposite but God has a plan. Don’t give up. At times I don’t see. The circumstances around me get my focus off the bigger picture. But God has a plan even if it seems like He has abandoned me. Don’t believe the lies. God is in control. He created your beginning but He also created your end and it is wonderful!! It is grand and it is breathtaking!!! He knows how it’s going to end because He is the one who WROTE the end!!

Rolain.

Do You Want To Make A Difference?

Everyone has an ambition to make their lives count. What a waste it would be to live a life that was meaningless! We are not put on this earth just to fill up space. Everyone has a reason for being here. That is the way God created us. What is your reason for being born? You may say you don’t believe you have a reason but you do. Everyone has a reason even if they don’t know it. James 4:10 gives us a little insight into how we can make our lives count.

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. (Amplified)

This is an amazing scripture because it shows us, God is the only One who can make our lives significant! Did you hear me, God is the only One who can make your life significant! When we realise this truth, it becomes easier for us because we begin to see it’s not about how much we know, or the family we came from, or the place we lived in, or how much money we have and so on and so on……it’s really about God!!! We need to come to a place where God is at the centre and He is the main thing about us! We need to realise we cannot do it in our strength. Purpose is for everyone and not a selected few!!! Someone once said, God qualifies the called. He really does! You may not be the brightest person, or the richest, or the strongest but God can and will make your lives significant if you let Him!

Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been  disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].                                                                                                                  [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins]. James 4:8,9

This is all part of the humbling process. God will exalt the humble but bring down the proud. He has created us to make a difference. Do you want to make your lives count, turn to God.

Rolain

 

The Most Important Thing In The World…..

What is the most important thing in the world, after Christ that is? It is relationships. I have been taught relationships are one of the most important things in life. It was what I have lived by for most of my life. In the past two weeks I have had to say goodbye to two of my best friends. The last friend left on Friday. It was hard saying goodbye I have to say. The pain is always there. At times I think, what is the point of having relationships.  How do you see the relationships in your life? Do you know how important they are in your life? God has brought each and every person in your life for a reason. Don’t take them lightly. We need the relationships in our lives. Someone told me once that people leave because God wants to bring someone else to reveal another part of you. I don’t know how true that statement is but what I do know is that relationships are important. God is a relational God and we are created in His image. We need relationships. Being alone is not God’s plan. I have always asked myself why God allows people to leave. The friends I have now are not the friends I had 5 years ago and the friends I had 5 years ago are not the friends I had 10 years ago but through all of that transitioning I am who I am because of the people I have met and interacted with! I acknowledge the impact they have made in my life even though at times it has been hard to understand. This is me just ranting I guess…..I don’t want to take the people that are in my life for granted.God brought them to me for a reason. He cared so much for me that He blessed me with the people that I now call my friends!!!!  Let us not take for granted the relationships in our lives. They are precious….

God bless

Rolain